The Cleveland Guardians couldn’t get much going in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series against the Detroit Tigers.
As expected, Tigers starter Tarik Skubal was elite, and though the Guardians also pitched well, they came up short.
A team always wants to strike first in a playoff series, especially at home.
Yet, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is ready to move on to the next game, as shown by his blunt and candid response to facing elimination.
“Our backs have been against the wall for three months. What’s one more day?” Vogt said.
Stephen Vogt kept it simple after Tuesday's 2-1 loss. Are you as confident as Vogt about Wednesday?
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— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) September 30, 2025
That’s precisely how he should feel at this point.
The Guardians weren’t even supposed to be here.
Though that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t take their situation seriously, they can’t afford to panic in Game 2.
Cleveland overcame a historic deficit in the standings to win the AL Central over Detroit, so the Guardians know what it takes to get hot at the right time and string wins together.
Getting past Skubal was always going to be a major challenge.
But there’s plenty of baseball left to be played, and the Guardians defeated the Tigers multiple times in the final weeks of the regular season.
The Guardians just need to move on, leave that tough loss behind them, and focus on what they can control.
Hopefully, starting pitcher Tanner Bibee will bring his best to even the series and force a deciding Game 3.
NEXT: Guardians Outfielder Continues To Struggle At The Plate
